


Reunion

by teej_318



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Academy Awards, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Upside Down, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, M/M, Mike is living under a different name, Nobody has seen him in some time, The Byers family has an Oscars viewing party, The Oscars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:20:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22236235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teej_318/pseuds/teej_318
Summary: While having an Oscars viewing party, Will and Chris Byers are surprised to find out their old friend Mike Wheeler has built a writing career ever since leaving Hawkins. They are desperate to see their friend again and start trying to track him down. But, why did Mike leave Hawkins in the first place?
Relationships: Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Will Byers & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 5
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

Will sat down on the sofa and leaned over to grab the remote. He turned on the TV, where the stars of Hollywood were gathering at this year's Oscars Ceremony. 

"Wonder what's keeping Chris," Jim mused.

Will turned to glance at his stepfather, who was sitting in the recliner Chris normally sat in. The two cousins lived together in a two bedroom apartment on the edge of downtown Chicago. It was perfect for their jobs: Chris as a reporter for The Chicago Tribune and Will being a freelance artist who also gave lessons three times a week. 

"He texted a little bit ago to say there was a long line at Pizza Hut," Will replied.

"To be fair, it is Oscars night," Joyce said from the kitchen, where she was preparing side dishes for them to snack on during the Academy Awards ceremony. "And I'm sure we're not the only ones in Chicago having a little viewing party."

"That is a good point," Jim said, returning his attention to the TV. "I just hope he gets here soon; I'm starving."

As if on cue, there was knocking at the door. Will hurried to it, shooing his mother away as Joyce made to go answer the door. Will peered through the peephole and saw Chris standing outside their apartment door, half of his face obscured by the pizza boxes he was carrying. Will grinned before he opened the door.

"Oh thank god you answered so fast," Chris said as he stumbled into the apartment and Will shut the door behind him. "Carrying three boxes of pizza is no easy feat, especially up a flight of stairs."

"Why didn't you text me to come and help?" asked Will, exasperated, as he followed Chris into the kitchen.

Chris ignored the question for a moment as he groaned before lifting the pizza boxes and putting them onto the counter-top. He brushed his hands, looking immensely pleased with himself, as he turned to face Will.

"Couldn't be bothered to ask for help," Chris said, shrugging. "Besides, you know me: I like to make the trip in one go."

Will rolled his eyes as he walked into the living room. Chris turned to Joyce and beamed at her.

"It's so good to see you, Aunt Joyce," Chris said as he pulled Joyce into a hug and then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"You, too, honey!" Joyce replied. "Jonathan, Nancy and El are sorry they couldn't make it, but duty calls for all of them."

"Oh, no worries," Chris said. "I'm just glad we get to see you guys at least."

"So, how's work treating you, Mr. Big Shot Reporter?"

"Same old, same old. They don't pay me enough to do the work I do and the hours are long and dragging, but it's good to try and do some good for the people," Chris said. "Though I must say I could certainly use about a month long vacation. Heck, I've probably built up that much vacation time ever since I worked there."

"Well, don't overwork yourself, Chris," Joyce said in a motherly tone. "You know how bad it is for you to be working so much and never taking any time for yourself."

"I know," Chris said. "And I'll take a break, soon, I'm sure. News has been relatively slow in Chicago for a while."

Chris and Joyce busied themselves with getting the rest of the food ready while Will and Jim were chatting in the living room while the TV continued to show the opening festivities of the Oscars. Once everything was ready, Joyce shouted for Jim and Will to come and fill their plates. 

"Any word on our possible relative?" Chris asked as he piled some pizza slices onto his plate along with some vegetables.

"Nothing yet," Will replied.

The whole reason for this Oscars viewing party was because somebody named Michael Byers was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Normally, none of them cared about the Oscars, but when they heard of someone sharing a last name with them, Chris and Will had gotten excited and decided to throw a little party to see if the man who shared their name would win. That, and they hadn't seen Jim and Joyce and the rest of their family since the previous Thanksgiving, so they thought they had a little get together to spend time with each other.

They ate their dinner and then all gathered in the living room to watch the Academy Awards. However, they didn't much pay attention to the results, instead opting to catch up with one another until they heard the Academy announcing the award for Best Original Screenplay was now up for presenting. They waited as the two announcers announced the nominees. They all looked at each other when Michael Byers' name was called. They didn't even know the name of the movie he had written; they were just excited to see if he would win. Surprisingly, though, when the announcers read Michael Byers' name, the camera panned to a table where JJ Abrams was sitting, surrounded by cast members of his latest movie. 

The group had no time to dwell on it, as the announcers were now opening the envelope to announce the winner.

"And the winner is...Michael Byers!"

The four family members cheered loudly as JJ Abrams stood up to collect the award. Nobody else had gotten up with him, so it was obvious that JJ was collecting the award on behalf of Michael Byers. The audience attending the Oscars was cheering politely, but they seemed surprised to see JJ Abrams up on the stage. JJ shook hands with the presenters before he turned to address the audience.

"Hi everyone," he said. "Well, unfortunately, Michael couldn't make it to the show tonight."

At that, Joyce stood up, telling the others she was going to pour herself another glass of wine. The boys remained focused on the TV and listened to JJ talk about Michael Byers.

"...been battling a stomach bug for the past couple of days and is recuperating at home. I know I speak for the rest of the cast when I say that Michael's brilliance helped us create such a wonderful movie. We're so happy we got to share it with you. And on Michael's behalf, thank you to the Academy for recognizing Michael's talent. Now I believe we have a picture of Michael for you all to see, is that right?" JJ asked, turning to someone off stage.

JJ exchanged words away from the microphone before he nodded and turned to the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is Michael, although he couldn't be with us here tonight.

A photo appeared behind JJ, and he stood aside to let the audience see it. As soon as they saw the picture, Chris, Will and Jim all gasped.

"Is that...?" Jim asked.

"I'm pretty sure it is," said Chris.

They heard Joyce gasp and nearly drop her glass of wine as she walked back into the living room, gaping at the picture.

"Oh my god," Joyce whispered.

"Michael Byers is Mike Wheeler," Will said. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and his cousin Chris start to track down as much information of Mike's whereabouts as they can. They return to their hometown of Hawkins and meet with some of Mike's family.

Will opened his nightstand and pulled out an old piece of paper he hadn’t looked at in years. He sat down on his bed and stared at the paper in his hands before he sighed and opened it. Though he knew what the letter said, something was telling him to read it again.

_Dear Will,_

_I’m sorry that I left Hawkins without talking to you, or to the rest of The Party. I just had to get out of there as quickly as I could. I wish I could tell you why, but I think you deserve to hear about that in person, from me, rather than just through a letter._

_Things are very complicated. I wish I could take you with me wherever I’m going. Truth be told, I don’t really have a plan except to get as far away from Hawkins (mainly my parents) as I can._

_I hate that I have to leave you behind, Will. But I can’t ask you to uproot your life so suddenly when you have a lot of things going for you. I know you’re gonna be okay, Will. You’re going to go far and do great things, and so is everyone else in The Party._

_I don’t know if or when I’ll be back. All I know is I had to get out of Hawkins, otherwise something bad was going to happen. I’ll explain it the next time I see you, I promise._

_I’m gonna try and keep in contact with you, Will. The truth is I don’t know where I’m going or what I’m going to do. But I don’t want you to worry about me, okay? I’ll be fine in the long run, Will, I promise._

_Take care of yourself and your family and The Party, Will. I’ll never forget any of you and how much you all mean to me. Give everyone my love, will you?_

_One more thing, Will: Whenever you get that viewmaster feeling, and you feel stuck between the lines, remember you’re not alone. Crazy Together. And I’ll try to remember that, too. I’ll always be with you, Will, no matter what._

_You’re my best friend for life, Will. I’m sorry that things turned out this way, but it’s for the best, trust me._

_I’ll see you the next time I can._

_Until then,_

_Crazy Together. --Mike_

Will felt fresh tears in his eyes. He shut his eyes as he clutched the letter close to his chest, directly over his heart, and let out his emotions. He cried softly for several moments as dozens of memories of Mike flew through his mind. New feelings about learning something about where Mike was today also filled his mind.

The letter was the last communication Will had ever gotten from Mike. He was 17 when he had gotten the letter, shortly after the last time he saw Mike in person. Will was confused when he first read the letter, because it was unlike Mike to just disappear like that. But as the days and weeks dragged on, Will had come to realize that Mike had indeed run away. He had tried his best to move on, with the help of his family and his friends in The Party, but he still couldn’t help but think of Mike from time to time. 

There was a soft knock at the door. Will lifted his head from his hands and quickly brushed away the freshest tears before he let out a shaky, “Come in!”

Chris walked into the bedroom and sat down on Will’s bed. Will was relieved to see that he didn’t see pity in Chris’ eyes, just concern. Will dissolved into fresh tears and fell into Chris’ embrace. Chris held Will tightly as Will sobbed and whispered words of comfort into Will’s ear while rubbing circles on Will’s back.

When Will had calmed down after a few moments, he sat back up and wiped away his tears again. Chris handed him a tissue and Will blew his nose before tossing the tissue into the trashcan next to his bed.

“Sorry,” Will said, feeling somewhat pathetic for breaking down like that.

“Hey, it’s all right,” Chris said in a gentle voice. “I understand, Will. I know how much Mike has always meant to you. I can’t imagine what you must be feeling.”

Will sighed deeply.

“I just...after eight years of no contact, for him to appear out of nowhere like that, and not even really appear, but just seeing a picture of him that’s recent, I just…”

“I know, Will,” Chris said. “It’s weird for me, too. I honestly didn’t think we’d ever hear from or see him again. But now that we know he’s out there and that he’s using our last name, it’s like…”

“Like we have to find him and find out what happened,” Will finished for Chris.

Chris nodded.

“Your Mom was saying the same thing. She said you’d probably want to go back to Hawkins to try and figure out where to find Mike. I told her I agreed with her and that I’ll go with you.”

“Chris, you don’t have to…”

“Hey, Mike was my friend, too,” Chris said. “I want to find out what happened to him just as much as you do, and everyone else. I mean, hell, Will he didn’t even come to his own sister’s wedding! He might be hard to track down, but not if we work together. Besides, I’ve gotten good at doing detective work thanks to my job.”

“What about your work, though?” Will asked.

“You don’t have to worry about it,” said Chris as Will rested his head on Chris’ shoulder. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I had a lot of vacation time built up. I’ll tie up the loose ends tomorrow and then drive out to Hawkins once everything’s done. We’ll find him, Will. I promise.” 

* * *

“You ready for this?” Chris asked as he and Will approached the Wheeler household. 

True to his word, Chris had hurried out to Hawkins as soon as he was cleared to leave his job for an extended vacation. Chris told Will it hadn’t taken much persuasion on his part, and they were both relieved for that. 

“I don’t know,” Will replied, looking anxious. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in this house.”

Chris reached out and grabbed Will’s hand with his own and gave it a quick squeeze.

“But it’ll be better since you’re here,” Will said with a smile before he knocked on the door.

Chris grinned at Will before he turned to face the front door as it opened. Karen Wheeler looked mostly the same, though she had some gray hairs now. She also looked less tired than Will or Chris had remembered seeing her before they moved away from Hawkins. Perhaps that had to do with her no longer parenting three young children; Holly was a teenager now, and both Nancy and Mike were out of the house.

“Will and Chris Byers,” Karen said as a greeting. “I can only assume you boys are here about Mike?”

Will and Chris glanced at each other, surprised that Karen knew why they were there.

“We know that he’s a screenplay writer now,” Will said.

Karen nodded.

“You probably learned about it at the same time I did,” she said, sighing to herself as she opened the door and motioned for Will and Chris to enter the house. 

The boys followed Karen into the house and sat down on the furniture. It was odd to them to see Ted’s old recliner missing from the living room; Karen must have gotten rid of it after Ted had passed the year before. 

Once they were situated, Chris pulled out his notebook and a pen.

“Doing a story are you, Chris?” Karen asked. “I’ve read some of your work in the paper. You’re a fine reporter.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Wheeler, but I’m off-duty. I’m just going to take notes to help us as we track down Mike, if you don’t mind.”

“No, I don’t mind, but I don’t know how much help I’ll be for you boys. I haven’t heard from Mike in years, not since the night he left Hawkins.”

Chris started to scribble notes in his notebook while Will looked at Karen in shock.

“Has he even called you or anything?” Will asked.

Karen shook her head.

“He hasn’t called me, but I know he maintains some contact with Nancy,” Karen explained. “I’m sorry to say that I haven’t had any contact with him since...that night.”

“Can you tell us what happened on that night?” Chris asked, glancing up from his notebook.

Karen sighed and looked close to tears. She composed herself for a moment before responding.

“I don’t think that’s for me to say, Chris,” she said. “I think that is Michael’s story to tell and his alone. Suffice it to say, I failed him as a mother that night. I should have done more, but I was...I don’t know, I think I was just scared and I just wanted to keep the peace. I regret that now. I lost my son that night because of my own cowardice. If I had been stronger, than maybe...maybe Mike wouldn’t hate me the way he does.”

At that, Karen broke down completely. Will jumped up from his seat and hurried to sit down next to Karen and pulled her into a hug. It took several minutes for Karen to calm down and she stopped crying. Her eyes were red and blotchy and she looked sadder than either of the boys had seen her.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Karen said as she wiped away her tears. “I just miss him so much.”

“I miss him too,” Will said. “We all do. And I don’t think he hates you, Mrs. Wheeler. Maybe he just needed some space.”

Karen nodded.

“If he hadn’t gone, I don’t know what would’ve happened, but I know it wouldn’t have been good, especially for Mike. I just want him to come home and to know how sorry I am for not being there for him.”

“I think he’d understand,” Chris said, putting his notebook away and going to sit next to Karen, opposite Will. “I think I know what happened based on what you told me, but I think the source of that unpleasantness is gone, am I right?”

Karen blinked as she looked at Chris, unsure of how he was able to piece everything together. Will looked at him too, but Chris had all of his focus on Karen. Chris nodded at her and Karen’s demeanor relaxed.

“You’re right, Chris. It is gone. Maybe now there will be hope for him to come back.”

“I think so,” Chris said. “Does Nancy know where Mike is, Mrs. Wheeler?”

Karen nodded.

“She’ll be able to help you. And if you do go to him, can you tell him how sorry I am?”

“I think you’ll be able to tell him yourself, Mrs. Wheeler,” Chris said, taking one of Karen’s hands in his own. “We’re gonna find him and we’re going to try and convince him to come home. If we’re able to, you’ll be able to talk to him.”

“Please bring him home, Chris. That’s all I want, is for my baby boy to come home.”

* * *

The car ride back to the Byers household had been silent. Chris could tell Will had been bouncing with anticipation the whole time, but had opted to stay silent as he formulated a plan of what to do next. Chris didn’t say anything until Will had shut the door behind them as they walked into Will’s old bedroom.

“Okay, so you wanna tell me what you think is going on?” asked Will.

“I don’t know for sure, Will, and I don’t want to jump to too many conclusions until we talk to Mike, but I think there was some sort of fight between him and his Dad on the night he left Hawkins.”

“How’d you come to that conclusion?” Will asked, looking somewhat confused.

“Come on, Will, Mrs. Wheeler practically _told_ us something went on that night between them. When I said the source of the unpleasantness was gone, I was referring to Mr. Wheeler. And Mrs. Wheeler knew it and that’s why she said yes.”

“So you think that Mr. Wheeler did something to Mike that night?”

“More like he said something that Mike couldn’t live with. I think whatever they fought about was something huge in Mike’s life and he didn’t feel safe in his own house anymore, so that’s why he left: to make sure he was safe. He wasn’t abandoning anyone; he was just trying to protect himself.”

“What do you think it was?” Will asked again.

Chris shook his head.

“I don’t know for sure and I think we should wait to hear what Mike has to say. You heard Mrs. Wheeler on that, and you read that in his letter, that he would explain it to you.”

“So what next?”

“I’m gonna call Nancy and see if I can sweet talk her into telling me where Mike is,” Chris said, pulling out his phone and scrolling down to Nancy’s name and clicking on it.

“Put her on speaker,” Will commanded.

Chris nodded and obliged Will, turning the speaker mode on. The phone rang a few times before Nancy answered.

“Hello, Chris,” Nancy said.

“Hey Nance,” Chris said. “Will’s here with me too.”

“Hi,” said Will.

“Hi, Will,” Nancy said. “So, what’s up, Chris? Mom told me you might be calling me.”

Chris explained everything that had happened in the last day involving Mike. Nancy was silent during the conversation and Will simply nodded as Chris relayed the story.

“So we’re just trying to figure out where Mike is just to check up on him,” Chris said when he was done telling the story. “We’re not gonna pressure him into anything or into talking to anyone, we just want to find him and make sure he’s doing okay.”

“Would it help if I told you that he’s doing okay?” Nancy asked. “I talk to him pretty regularly and he always says things are going well for him.”

“It’s not the same, Nancy,” Will said before Chris could reply. “Hearing that Mike is okay from you and actually seeing for myself that he’s okay are two entirely different things. I know you wanna respect his privacy, Nance, but can you blame me for wanting to see him again? He’s my best friend, Nancy, and I miss him so much. And not knowing how he’s doing is killing me inside. I need to see him, Nancy. Please.”

There was a brief pause in the conversation. Will had started to tear up and Chris wrapped an arm around him and pulled him in for a hug before Nancy replied.

“All right,” she said. “I know how much he means to you, Will. To both of you, actually. I’ll give you his address.”

Will and Chris stared at each other, beaming.

“Thank you, Nancy! Thank you so much!”

“Ah, I could never say no to the best brother-in-law out there, Will,” Nancy said. “Besides, I know how much Mike misses you too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, can y'all guess what I'm hinting at in this chapter? Specifically, what happened between Mike and Ted on the night Mike left Hawkins? Let me know what you think in the comments!
> 
> By the way, with the reference to the viewfinder feeling, I picture that as a metaphor Will used when describing how he felt when his father left (we all know Lonnie is shit). Like he felt torn between being happy and relieved his father is gone to numbing shock and sadness at losing a parent and being abandoned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Chris Byers come face-to-face with Mike Wheeler for the first time in eight years and they learned what happened on the night Mike left Hawkins.

Chris drove the rental car through the small town of Naches, Washington. The town was much smaller than they were used to seeing, and to them, Hawkins was a small town. Chris had done research on the town before they flew out to Washington and learned that Naches had a small population of fewer than 800 people at the last census. Considering that they knew Mike wanted to get away from Hawkins, they thought Mike couldn’t have picked a better spot to live.

As Chris turned down the road that would eventually lead to Mike’s home, Will spoke up for the first time since they left the airport in Yakima.

“I can’t believe we’re about to see him!” Will exclaimed, looking excited, but nervous at the same time.

“I know, right? It’s weird. Like I never expected this day to happen and now that it’s here, it feels almost fake.”

“So, you told me you stayed up late last night trying to find out as much as possible about Mike and his career. Did you find out anything?”

“Well, according to his IMDB page, Mike’s written several scripts for movies and TV. He’s gotten some Emmys over the years and was nominated for and won a bunch of other awards, but this was his first time with the Oscars. Other than that, I didn’t find too much. I guess he keeps to himself, like Nancy said. There were no pictures on his profile and under the trivia section, it says he has a reputation of being notoriously private, never attending premieres of any of his movies or giving interviews with the press.”

“Well maybe he’d make an exception for you,” Will said with a smile as Chris drove the car toward the small house the GPS said was Mike’s home. 

The house was smaller than the boys were anticipating. It was built similar to a mobile home, with light brown siding on it. There were large satellites hooked up to the house, which suggested to them reception for phone and Internet were probably spotty since they were out in the country. In the distance, Chris and Will could see foothills and a cherry orchard.

“Not a bad view for a writer,” Chris mused. “I could get used to a place like this.”

“Yeah, me too,” Will said, his voice drifting off slightly. 

Chris turned to look at Will and saw that Will looked nervous and he was breathing a little fast. He reached over and placed a hand on Will’s left arm.

“Deep breaths, buddy, deep breaths,” Chris whispered. “He’s gonna be happy to see you, I know he is.”

Will nodded, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he squeezed Chris’ hand with his free hand and the two of them exited the car. They approached the front door and stood there awkwardly, both of them nervous about taking the plunge. Finally, Will took a deep breath and knocked on the door. They waited for several seconds, but there was no answer. Frowning, Will knocked again, this time louder and a few seconds longer than before. Still, there was no answer. Will glanced at Chris, who shrugged, and Will decided to check around the house. 

The two men walked around the side of the house and toward the back, near the cherry blossom. Trees surrounded one side of them behind a fence and a small storage shed, built with the same material of the house, stood to their left. In the distance, Will spotted a figure standing with a camera pointed toward the foothills.

“Is that him?” Chris asked when he spotted the figure.

“Yeah, I think it is,” Will whispered back. “Mike?” he shouted to the figure.

The figure turned to look at them. Even from a distance, both Will and Chris could tell it was Mike. They started to walk closer to Mike, stopping when they saw Mike running toward them.

“Will! Chris!” Mike exclaimed, beaming, when he reached the cousins. “You guys are here a little earlier than I was expecting! I was just taking some pictures to send to Nancy; I promised her I would once the sun started shining more out here. Um, can I give you guys a hug? It’s so good to see you!”

“Of course,” Chris said happily, pulling Mike in for a hug. They held each other tightly for a few moments before they broke apart. “It’s good to see you, old friend.”

“You, too, Chris. And congratulations on your reporting career! I’ve been following you along ever since Nancy told me you got the job there. You’re a hell of a reporter, Chris.”

“Thanks, Mike,” Chris replied with a chuckle.

Mike turned to face Will, who still hadn’t spoken yet. The fact that Mike was standing in front of him had thrown Will’s body into overdrive. He had a thousand questions, yet he somehow didn’t want any of them answered. He was so happy to see Mike, but at the same time, he was angry they hadn’t seen each other in eight years. 

Mike, who always seemed to sense when Will was in distress, frowned when he saw Will’s face.

“You okay, Willie?”

If there was anything that would make Will cry, he never thought it would be Mike’s old nickname for him. But as soon as he heard the name, Will burst into tears. Mike hurried forward and threw his arms around Will protectively. Will clung to Mike as if he were a lifeline and he felt the familiar sense of ease he always felt whenever Mike held him. Will sobbed into Mike’s shoulder as years of emotions about his best friend came rushing to the surface. Finally, Will calmed down and broke the hug.

“God, you fucker!” Will shrieked, but there was no bite to his tone. “Only you could make me cry like that!”

“I’m sorry, Willie, I didn’t mean to,” Mike said, looking sheepish. “And I know you both probably have a thousand questions for me. And I definitely have some explaining to do. Why don’t we go inside and I’ll make us some tea, yeah?”

“Yeah, Mikey,” Will said, pulling Mike in for another hug. It suddenly seemed to him that he was never going to get enough of Mike, even if they saw each other every day for the rest of their lives now that they were reunited. Eight years apart did that to Will.

Mike led Will and Chris into his home once he and Will broke their hug. He gestured for the cousins to sit down and get comfortable in the living room while he busied himself in the kitchen. The two of them glanced around the areas of the house they could see. They were both surprised to see none of the awards Mike had won on display, nor any pictures of Mike’s life now that he lived in Washington. There weren’t even photos of any of Mike’s family hanging up on the wall. Instead, there were several portraits and paintings hung on the walls.

“Here we are,” Mike said as he set the tray down on the coffee table in front of the sofa Will and Chris were sitting on. Mike took a mug for himself and sat down on the recliner that was to the left of the sofa and angled to face it. “I know you guys have some questions for me. After all, Nancy did warn me you were coming. So, what would you guys like to know?”

Will and Chris glanced at each other for a moment before Chris spoke up.

“You’ve won several awards, haven’t you?” Chris asked.

Mike chuckled.

“I can safely say I anticipated that question,” Mike said, sounding amused. “Yes, I have won several awards, my recent Oscar amongst them, but I have no use for awards. I’ve never shown up to claim any of them. I’m not sure what happens to unclaimed awards, but I’m not interested in getting them. To me, my screenwriting is just my job. I don’t need to be rewarded for doing my job, even if people think I am good at it.”

“You are good at it, Mikey,” Will said in a soft voice. “I’ve seen some of the movies you’ve written and you’re an incredible writer. You always have been.”

“Thanks, Will,” Mike said with a smile. He took a drink of his tea before Chris spoke again.

“So, how does this work, exactly? You just send in your scripts to producers in Hollywood?”

“Sometimes,” Mike said, nodding. “Sometimes I just get hit with an idea so I’ll get to work on it and shop it around to the studios until there’s a buyer. I usually end up getting the screenwriting and story credit and they pay me well for it. I’ve had a few requests as well, and I’m happy to do those, too. Keeps me busy.”

“How about your life outside work?” Chris asked.

“I don’t really have one. I mostly just keep to myself out here, working on screenplays. I usually have several going at once and it’s fun to shift from script to script. Keeps my creative juices flowing. I do a little photography as well, as you guys saw when you got here. Some of these,” Mike added, gesturing to the portraits hung in the living room, “are my own work. It’s way cheaper to get wall art like this when you’re the photographer, let me tell you.”

“And, what’s with the name change?” 

Mike laughed.

“Oh. That. Well, technically my name still is Mike Wheeler. But I write the scripts under Michael Byers as a pen name of sorts. It was the first thing I could come up with that distanced me enough from my real name, but it reminded me of one of the best parts of my life back in Hawkins. But I won’t forgive JJ for showing my picture like that! I never authorized him to do that and I let him hear my mind at the Oscars afterparty! ”

Chris glanced to Will and they silently communicated the next question, which Will asked.

“What about friends, Mike?”

“What about them?” Mike asked, sounding bored.

“Don’t you have any friends?”

“Other than you guys and everyone else in The Party? No. I mean, I communicate regularly with producers and directors, but I don’t consider them friends. They’re just colleagues, even if there are some I prefer to work with over others. But, no. I just keep to myself out here and live my life on my terms.”

“That sounds kinda lonely, Mike,” Chris said.

“It can be, but I’ve got Nancy to chat with about things. I’m glad she and Jonathan tied the knot, finally. I wish I could have been there at the wedding to see you guys, but I wasn’t about to be in the same room with dear old Dad again.”

And here they were. They had finally arrived at the topic Will and Chris were most anxious to discuss. Will and Chris glanced at each other again and Chris nodded at Will.

“Mike, in your letter that you wrote to me, you said you would explain why you had to leave Hawkins. Can you do that for me?”

Mike sighed.

“Well, I’m certainly glad you got the letter, Will. I was worried that it might have gotten lost somehow. But yes, I’ll explain what happened.” Mike took a deep breath before he pressed on. “The night I left Hawkins, Dad came bursting into the living room while I was studying…”

* * *

_ “Michael!” Ted shouted when he entered the living room with Karen in tow. _

_ “What is it? Mike asked in a bored tone. _

_ “Do not talk to me with that tone, young man.” _

_ “Sorry,” Mike said, trying to keep his irritable mood out of his tone. “What can I do for you, Dad?” _

_ “That’s better, but you better have a damn good explanation for this.” _

_ Ted threw an envelope onto the table. Mike took it and picked it up. He felt his heart sink when he realized what was in the envelope: a private note to Will where Mike came out and confessed his love for Will. _

_ “Where the hell did you get this?” Mike demanded, all traces of respect vanished from his voice.  _

_ “It doesn’t matter where I got it, the point is I found it and read it!” _

_ “You had no right to do that! How dare you!” _

_ “Michael…” Karen said in a halfhearted attempt to keep the peace.  _

_ “No, Mom! You know how he is about my privacy! You can’t possibly think that he had any right!” _

_ “Don’t talk to your mother that way, Boy! You will respect her!” _

_ “Yeah, the way you respect her with your constant berating and expecting her to do every goddamn thing around here while you sit on your ass and fall asleep in your recliner?!” _

_ “Enough! I won’t have you disrespecting me in my own house and I certainly will not have a homo living under my roof!” _

_ “FINE!” Mike screamed, shoving past his father and up the stairs. He hurried into his room and shoved as many clothes and personal items as he could into his duffel bag. He was able to stuff in about ten days of clothes, which he normally would’ve been impressed by, but all he could think about was getting out of the house. He stormed back down the stairs and made for the front door, but he stopped when his father called out to him. _

_ “And just where do you think you’re going?” _

_ “Go to hell, you fucking piece of shit asshole!” Mike screamed. “I’m leaving and there’s nothing you can do to stop me!” _

_ “Michael, please!” Karen shrieked. _

_ “I’m sorry, Mom, but I can’t stay here,” Mike said softly before he yelled at Ted again. “As for you, I hope I never see you again, you worthless excuse of a father. And you stay the hell away from Holly and let her live how she wants to live. Goodbye forever!” _

* * *

“So, I left the house. I went and stayed with El for a few hours until it was the middle of the night. She asked me to stay, but I didn’t want Hopper trying to convince me to go back home, so I waited until I was sure everyone in town was asleep and then I went to the bus station. Well, first I stopped by your house, Will, to drop off your letter. Then I went to the bus station and took the first one out of Hawkins. I’ve been on my own ever since and I eventually made my way here and started churning out scripts. I’ve made a decent living doing that and I’m mostly content with my life. I just had to get the hell out of Hawkins and away from my father.” 

Will and Chris were both silent as they took in all that Mike had revealed. Suddenly, Mike’s sudden departure made much more sense to them. It was clear Mike no longer felt safe in his home, so he got out. And since Ted had passed last year, then maybe…

“Mike, is there any chance you’re planning a return trip home? After all, your father is gone.” Chris asked.

“I’ve been working up the courage to come back ever since I heard that miserable bastard was gone,” Mike said. “I’m not sorry that he’s gone, but I am sorry for how I left things with my Mom and Holly and with all of you guys. I’m sorry, Will and Chris. I never meant to hurt either of you. I hope you can forgive me.”

“Oh Mike,” Chris said, standing up and walking over to Mike. He bent down next to the recliner and put a hand on Mike’s shoulder. “There’s nothing for me to forgive. You were doing what you needed to. I’m just glad that you’re okay and you’re doing well. I hope you’ll come back to Hawkins with us, at least to visit your Mom, sisters and your friends. We all miss you, Mike.”

“I miss you guys, too. I won’t lie: I enjoy my freedom out here, but it does get lonely from time to time.”

“Well, you’ve always got a place to stay if you ever want to visit Chicago,” Chris said. “Now, I gotta run to the bathroom real quick.”

“It’s down the hallway,” Mike said, gesturing toward it. Chris stood up and left the room, leaving Mike and Will alone.

The two young men sat in a rather uncomfortable silence. Mike hadn’t meant to confess every aspect of his leaving Hawkins, but he felt that honesty was the best policy. He wasn’t sure how Will would react to hearing Mike’s feelings about him, so Mike held his breath as he waited for Will to speak.

“Did you mean it?” Will asked, breaking the tension.

“Mean what?” Mike asked, though he certainly knew what Will was referring to.

“When you said you loved me.”

“Of course I meant it, Will. I loved you then and I love you to this day. I’ve loved you for a long time, Will. It’s just a law of the universe at this point. I was going to tell you and ask if you wanted to run away with me after we graduated, but thanks to Dad, that didn’t work out. I wanted to take you with me, Will, but I couldn’t ask you to uplift your life just like that. I know it wasn’t my place to make that decision for you, Will, but all I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy, Will. And are you happy?’

Will sighed before he responded. 

“For the most part, I am happy. I’ve got a great life with great friends and family. I love my job. I love the apartment Chris and I share. But I miss being able to share my life with you, Mike. I miss getting to talk to you about everything and nothing at the same time. I miss laughing with you, crying with you, living life with you. I want that back, Mike. I know it’s selfish of me to ask, but that’s what I want, Mike. Eight years without you has felt like an eternity. And then seeing your face on TV like that, I felt all sorts of feelings, but I remembered the most that I love you, too. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember and I don’t think that will ever change.”

“I feel like there’s a ‘but” coming,” Mike said, suddenly looking and sounding scared. 

“But I don’t know if I can trust that you do love me, Mike,” Will said. “I know that sounds horrible, but the way you just uplifted your entire life like that and never tried to get back in touch with me, it just makes it seem like maybe you wanted to be away from me. And I know you didn’t say that and didn’t mean to imply it, but it feels that way, Mike.”

Suddenly, Mike stood up from his recliner and left the room. Will was taken aback by Mike’s sudden movement and leaned back on the couch, wondering what was taking Chris so long. Mike returned a few moments later and handed Will a photo frame, sitting down next to Will as he did. Will looked at the picture and felt his heart twinge with a happy memory. It was a picture of Mike and Will during the last Christmas Mike had been in Hawkins. They were standing next to the Byers family Christmas tree and both of them looked happy and comfortable in each other’s arms. It was during one of the less chaotic times of the night when Chris had stopped Mike and Will and told them to smile next to the tree. Will hadn’t realized how happy he looked when the picture was taken.

“I’ve kept that with me ever since I left Hawkins,” Mike said in a heavy voice. “It’s the only picture that I have out in my house. Even though Nancy has sent me pictures of everyone else, this was the only one I wanted in my house. It sits next to my computer in my office. You are the best part of my life, Will. I never wanted to lose that, so I’ve kept this picture close to me, kind of like you’re here with me. Because I love you, Will. I love you so much…”

Mike was cut off by Will practically jumping on to Mike and pushing their lips together. It was a messy kiss, considering how it started and how it took Mike by surprise, but it was perfect because it was them. They held onto each other tightly as they kissed and they only broke apart when they heard Chris’ amused voice.

“It’s about time you lovebirds finally got together,” Chris said.

Chris shrieked as a pillow thrown by Will hit him square in the face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to end it rather abruptly like that, but I thought it would be a funny way to finish the story!
> 
> Hope y'all enjoyed this story. I'm going to be updating some more of my stories this month before diving into the prompts y'all have sent me for Camp NaNoWriMo next month. I'm even gonna be updating one of my earliest fics; you'll have to stay tuned to find out which one!

**Author's Note:**

> How do you like them apples, huh? Mike has taken the Byers name as his own, and there is a good reason for it. Originally I was going to make this a longer one-shot, but I decided to break it up into chapters instead. Stay tuned for more coming soon!


End file.
